2016-02-16 faa_visual arts at monument-national_march 2016_press kit_en

VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION

March 4 to May 8, 2016

MONGOLIA

Land of Eternal Blue Sky Photographs by Bayar Balgantseren (Mongolia)

Presented by The Embassy of Mongolia to Canada

& Festival Accès Asie

Monument-National 1182 St-Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 2S5

Press Kit

Kakim Goh Curator Festival Accès Asie 1200, rue de Bleury # 111, Montréal, Québec, H3B 3J3, Canada www.accesasie.com (514) 270-6913 | [email protected]

Mongolia, Land of Eternal Blue Sky | March 4 to May 8, 2016 | Press Kit | Version KG 2016/02/16 2

MONGOLIA Land of Eternal Blue Sky

Opening cocktail

Friday, March 4, 2016 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm

Exhibition: March 4 to May 8, 2016

Monument-National 1182 St-Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 2S5

(St-Laurent metro station) FreeadmissionTheEmbassyofMongolia toCanadaandFestivalAccèsAsie, incollaborationwiththeMongolianCanadianAssociationandMonument-National,arepleasedtopresentMongolia,Landof EternalBlue Sky, a visual arts exhibition featuring photographic works by artist Bayar Balgantseren(Mongolia).TheexhibitionwillrunfromMarch4thtoMay8th,2016.Thepublicisinvitedtoattendthe opening cocktail on Friday, March 4th, 2016, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, showcasing traditionaldance by Mongolian children from Montreal, a music performance by Quebecois singer JuulieRousseau (www.juulierousseau.com)andMongolian specialities served courtesyof theMongolianCanadianAssociation.TheeventwillbeofficiatedbyHisExcellency,Mr.RadnaabazarAltangerel,thefourthresidentAmbassadorofMongoliatoCanada.CuratedbyKakimGohandCatherineLaMendola,withassistancefromElodieLavergne,Mongolia,Land of Eternal Blue Sky explores Mongolian identity and culture both past and present asexemplifiedinthreeperspectives:nature,nomadiclife,andtheMongoliancity.BayarBalgantserenisarenownedMongoliandigitalphotographer,whoisinterestedinthecomplex,andoftencontrastingfacetsoflifeinhiscountry.TheimagesexhibitedinMongolia,LandofEternalBlue Skyoffer different views of contemporaryMongolia, a country with complex and seeminglycontrastingcultures,oftenthoughtofas“exotic”byWesternviewers.Mongolianidentityisexploredthrough images of desolate steppes and bustling cities, featuring scenes of everyday life for bothnomadic peoples and urban dwellers. Through his exploration of traditional nomadic culture andcontemporaryurbandevelopment,BalgantserenseekstocaptureeveryfacetoflifeinthebeautifulandvastcountryofMongolia.The exhibitionwill consist of three themes: nature, nomadic lifeand the capital city ofMongolia,Ulaanbaatar.Theimagesofnaturedisplaythecountry’sdiverselandscapes,fromthevaststeppestotheGobidesert,andthebreathtakingwaterfallsofOrkhon.Snapshotsofeverydaynomadiclifeandculturerevealpeoplewhoaredeeplyconnectedtotheirenvironment,andpresenttheirauthenticwaysof life. Lastly,photographsofMongolia’s citiespresenta contemporary countrydedicated todevelopmentandprogress,withdeepculturalandhistoricalroots.Formoreinformation,contact:Curator|KakimGoh|(514)270-6913|[email protected]



BIOGRAPHIES

The Embassy of Mongolia to Canada

BayarBalgantseren-Artist,Mongolia,LandofEternalBlueSky

Photographer Bayar Balgantseren (www.mongolphototour.com)currently lives andworks inMongolia. Since 2007, he has been takingphotographs that capture scenes of nature, wildlife, landscapes, andimages of traditional Mongolian nomadic lifestyles. In 2013, hepublished his first book of photography, entitled Bayar’s PhotographyImpressions.Morerecently,hisworkhasbeenshowninternationallyatexhibitionsinTokyo,JapanandUlan-Ude,Russia.Inthepastfouryears,his photography has been featured in multiple publications, includingNationalGeographic Travel,Goodali,Mongolian Photo, andWonderfulLife.

H.E.Mr.RadnaabazarAltangerel-AmbassadorofMongoliatoCanada

Ambassador Radnaabazar Altangerel was born in Tsetserleg,Mongoliaand is the fourth resident Ambassador of Mongolia to Canada(www.ottawa.embassy.mn). Previously, he served as Ambassador ofMongolia to France, Spain, Portugal and Monaco and PermanentDelegateofMongolia toUNESCO.Heholds degrees from theMoscowState Institute of International Relations, Institute of InternationalStudies in Geneva, and École Nationale d’Administration in Paris. Inaddition, he has worked in various capacities with the Ministry ofForeignAffairsofMongolia,servingastheChiefofDiplomaticProtocolandStateSecretaryofForeignAffairsofMongolia.

Mongolia-CanadaBilateralRelationsMongolia andCanada establisheddiplomatic relations onNovember 30, 1973 and celebrated the40thAnniversaryofdiplomaticrelationsbetweenthetwocountriesin2013.Mongoliafirstopenedits General Consulate in Toronto in 1998. The Embassy of Mongolia to Canada was officiallyinauguratedininOttawainDecember2001.With similar climatic conditions, scarcity of population, abundance of natural and agriculturalresourceswithahighroleofthesesectorsintheireconomies,ourtwocountriesshareawealthofcommon experiences, enhancingMongolia and Canada’s friendly cooperation in a number of keyareas.There are approximately five thousand three hundredMongolians living in Canada, including twohundredMongoliansinMontreal.TheEmbassyofMongoliatoCanada|www.ottawa.embassy.mn|[email protected]



Festival Accès Asie

KakimGoh-Curator&VicePresidentoftheBoardofDirectors

Kakim Goh (www.kakimgoh.com) was born in Singapore and lives inMontreal.He is theVicePresidentof theBoardofDirectorsatFestivalAccès Asie, in addition to serving as the Curator of the Visual ArtsProgram, responsible fororganizingvisualartsexhibitions,professionaldevelopmentprogramsandculturalmediationactivities.HeholdsaBFAinPaintingandDrawingfromConcordiaUniversity.Asavisualartistwhocreates interdisciplinary painting, performance and video installations,Kakim has been exhibiting in Mexico and Quebec since 1993, mostnotablyatMAI,theOBORONewMediaLaboratoryandlaMaisondelaCultureduPlateau-Mont-Royal.

CatherineLaMendola-GuestCurator

Catherine LaMendola was born in Texas and lives in Montreal. She iscurrently completing her bachelor’s degree in Art History at McGillUniversity.Sheisalsotheco-presidentofMcGillUniversity’sstudentartgalleryandherresearchfocusesoncontemporary installationpracticesand art criticism. She has written and edited for various Montrealpublications including The Main and McGill’s journal Canvas. She hasservedasacuratorialinternatFestivalAccèsAsiesinceSpring2015.

ElodieLavergne-EventCoordinator

Elodie Lavergnewas born in France and lives inMontreal. She holds aBachelor’sdegreeinInternationalBusinessandCorporateDevelopmentfrom CNAM Haute-Normandie. In France, she gained marketing andevent management experience working for L’Oréal Paris andvolunteering at the Fontenay-Sous-Bois City Hall where she organizedevents,concertsandexhibitions.Sheiscurrentlyspecializinginartsandculturebypursuing aCertificate inAnimation andCultural Research atUQAM. She has served as an Event Coordinator at Festival Accès AsiesinceFall2015.

Festival Accès Asie (www.accesasie.com) is aMontréal-based non-profit organization (NPO) thatpromotesAsianarts,historiesandculturesinQuébecandCanadathroughvariousartisticdisciplinesincluding visual arts, dance, theatre, video, film, music, comedy, poetry, literature, performance,newmediaandculinaryarts.Formedin1995,FestivalAccèsAsieisthelongestcontinuouslyrunningAsianheritagearts festival inCanada.Todate, ithaspresentedworksofover600artistsofAsianoriginfrommorethan20differentAsiancountries.



MONGOLIA, LAND OF ETERNAL BLUE SKY Photographs by Bayar Balgantseren

©BayarBalgantseren

MongoliaMongolia is theworld’s second largest landlockedcountryandoccupiesa territoryof1.56millionsquarekilometers.MongoliaislocatedinNorthernAsia,borderedbyRussiaintheNorthandChinain the South, East and West. Mongolia is the world’s least densely populated country, with apopulation ofmore than 3million people living in a vast area of 1.56million square kilometers.UlaanbaatarisMongolia’scapitalandlargestcityandservesashometoapproximately45%ofthecountry’spopulation.Approximately95%oftheMongolianpopulationiscomprisedofvariousethnicgroupsofMongolianorigin,with5%oftheremainingpopulationsrepresentedbyotherethnicgroups, includinga largeminority of Kazakhs. Tibetan Buddhism is themajor religion inMongolia with a small number ofpracticingMuslims,ChristiansandShamansresidinginMongolia.

2016-02-16 faa_visual arts at monument-national_march 2016_press kit_en

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